The Wolf's Dragon Pup
by Rae Kelly
Summary: A 7-year-old Draco follows Remus on the night of the full moon, putting himself in terrible danger.  Will he pay for it with his life? Or will love triumph over the beast? Part of the "Apothecary Knows Best" AU.  Mild CP.


**The Wolf's Dragon Pup**

**This story is part of the "Apothecary Knows Best" AU created by Snapegirlkmf and myself. Our AU is very differnt from both the books and the movie. I don't want to give it all away should you decide to read that story, which can be found under Snapegirlkmf's penname. The following is a brief outline: Narcissa married Remus Lupin after her sister Bella ran off with Lucius. Bella and Lucius had Draco about the same time Remus and Cissy had twins: Teddy and Tessa. After watching Bella murder Lucius, Draco went to live with his aunt, uncle and cousins. Remus, Cissy, Teddy, Tessa and Draco are all supporting characters in "The Apothecary Knows Best".**

**Warning: mild CP.**

Draco Malfoy loved living with his Uncle Remus and Aunt Cissy. At the Lupins cottage he was loved and protected and well-fed. He didn't have to worry about Aunt Cissy hurting him or using bad magic on him like his Mummy had...or Uncle Remus telling him that he wouldn't love him anymore if he didn't behave himself.

At least he hadn't had to worry about that so far, but deep down part of him believed that it was only a matter of time before they did start acting like that. Some nights while lying in his bed in the room that he shared with his cousin Teddy, Draco thought that it might be better if they were to go ahead and get rid of him now before he got even more attached to them than he already was. And he was very attached to his Uncle Remus. There was just something about the man that made him feel so safe and protected, especially when the man held him. He liked being held my Uncle Remus lots more than he had liked being held by his Papa before his Mummy had killed him.

So far in the months since he had lived with his Uncle Remus and Aunt Cissy, he had been on his very best behavior. Well, except for the times that he had gotten into trouble for arguing with Jamie. He and Jamie just couldn't get along at all, but the worst he'd ever gotten from Uncle Remus was some corner time…though one time Uncle Sev had washed out his mouth for calling Jamie a bad name. Draco didn't want to think about what Mummy had done to punish him, but a small part of him wondered what just what Uncle Remus would do to him if he was really bad. And he wanted to find out sooner, rather than later. He'd rather go ahead and find somewhere else to live if that was going to happen.

He could probably go live with Aunt 'Dromeda, who lived across the yard. But then, her own daughter had just started at Hogwarts this year and she might not want another kid to take care of. What he would rather do if he did have to leave was to go stay with Uncle Sev and Aunt Lily…and Rosie. His Rosie.

The little boy hugged his teddy bear, Tony, a little tighter at the thought of little Rosie Snape. When he first came to live with Uncle Remus and Aunt Cissy, Rosie was the only one who could get through the fog that had surrounded his mind after watching Mummy kill his Papa. No one, not even his faithful house elf Dobby, had been able to get him to eat. But something about Rosie had made him want to eat, if only to please her. He really liked to see her smile and hear her laugh.

When Uncle Remus had gotten sick and couldn't take care of Draco like he had been, Rosie was the only one who could get him to come out of the corner where he had been hiding. And she had given him Tony then, too. Tony had been her teddy that she had slept with, but she had given Tony to him to make him feel better.

Thinking of that time that Uncle Remus had gotten sick, led his thoughts in another direction. Usually when he had a nightmare, he would go crawl in bed with Uncle Remus and Aunt Cissy until he had fallen asleep again. He always ended up back in his bed again come morning. But some nights he couldn't find Uncle Remus and Aunt Cissy would be awake. On those nights she would come sit with him until he fell asleep again. He really missed Uncle Remus on those nights, because even though he liked Aunt Cissy, Uncle Remus made him feel safe and protected and he never had problems going to sleep when Uncle Remus was there.

He would have to think about where Uncle Remus went on another night. Tonight he was going to think about what he could do to see how bad Uncle Remus and Aunt Cissy would punish him if he was really bad.

"You're such a baby, sometimes," Teddy told Draco as they picked up their toys before dinner.

"Am not," Draco protested, making a face at the other boy.

Teddy rolled his eyes. "You must be, since you're always playing with Rosie and she's a baby."

"I'm not a baby!"

"You're always acting like one…you wake up in the middle of the night and then run crying to Mummy and Papa. You wet the bed and sometimes you even suck your thumb when you get _scared_," he sneered the last word. "Maybe they should put you in a diaper and give you a bottle…"

"TAKE THAT BACK!" Draco yelled.

"Is the baby mad?" Teddy snickered.

Without thinking, Draco shoved his cousin, who tripped over a toy on the floor. Teddy lost his balance and hit his head on the dresser as he fell.

"What is going on in here?" Remus demanded from the doorway, where he had arrived just in time to see Draco push Teddy. He quickly brushed past Draco and knelt in front of Teddy, reaching around to feel the knot on the back of his head. Remus turned back to Draco. "Go stand in the corner in the kitchen. Now," he added when Draco seemed to hesitate.

Draco stared at his uncle only a moment longer before turning and running down the hall to the kitchen, tears blurring his vision.

Remus helped Teddy to the Floo and then took him through to Andromeda and Cissy's clinic before returning home to deal with the errant Draco. He didn't know what had gotten into the boy lately, but in the last few weeks the quiet, sweet child they had known or become someone different. It wasn't that Draco was a bad child, but he was starting to misbehave more and more frequently. Sighing, he went into the kitchen and sat down. "Come here, Draco."

Draco turned out of the corner where he had been standing for the last ten minutes and stood in front of his beloved uncle, tears running down his pale cheeks.

Steeling himself, Remus turned the boy and gave him a firm swat to the seat of his pants. He turned the boy around and tried to best to ignore the tears on the boy's face. "Fighting is never the answer. Not to anything, is that clear?"

The little boy nodded, trying desperately to stop his tears. He didn't want to cry anymore because that was part of what had started all of this in the first place. Draco nodded and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

Remus pulled the boy's sleeve away from his face and took his handkerchief from his pocket, wiping the boy's face. "I don't like having to punish you Draco. So let's not make a habit of this, alright?" Draco nodded again, wrapping his arms around himself. "Come here, Pup," Remus said quietly, pulling the small boy into his arms, cuddling him close. "Any time I do have to punish you, I will hold you for as long as you'd like afterwards…and nothing you do will make me stop loving you."

Cissy Lupin moved from the kitchen down the hall to the room the twins had once shared. When Draco had come to live with them, they had moved Tessa into the smaller guest room. At first Tessa had been thrilled to have her own room, but lately she had been asking her parents for a little sister to share her room with. Remus had merely laughed and hugged his daughter, telling her that they would certainly work on getting her a little sister. She smiled at the thought. They had certainly worked on that. When the twins turned four and they had yet to conceive again, she and Remus had consulted the top Healers. None of the Healers could ever find a reason as to why the pair had not conceived, so Remus and Cissy had contented themselves with their two children. While she adored her nephew, since his arrival she had begun dreaming of holding a babe in her arms again.

Leaning against the doorframe, she smiled as she listened to the boy read to the teddy bear that Rosie had given him. Draco had not had any schooling before his arrival, and though he had come a long way in the few short months, he still had trouble with his reading. So Remus had suggested that he read out loud to Tony as a way to practice. When he got to the end of the page he was reading she spoke. "Very good, Draco." She returned his smile. "It's your turn to set the table tonight."

"I don't want to," he replied, making a face.

"I know you don't want to, dear, but it's your turn."

"No," he said stubbornly.

She sighed quietly. "It wasn't a request."

"M'not gonna do it," the boy responded, dropping his book to cross his arms. He gave his aunt a stubborn look that she remembered seeing on his mother Bella.

They argued for another moment before Cissy finally said, "Fine. You don't have to set the table. Come to the kitchen while I prepare your dinner." She turned to walk back to the kitchen.

Draco stared at her for a moment before jumping off his bed, Tony falling to the floor. "I'm not gonna eat with everyone else?" He asked, following her down the hall.

"No," she replied. "If you won't obey me, then you'll just go to bed early."

"But…" Draco bit his lip. "Uncle Remus isn't home with the twins yet…"

She pulled out some bread and meat and began to prepare him a sandwich. "It was your decision not to obey, Draco. I'm sure he'll come in and tell you good night when he gets home."

Draco sniffled and climbed into his chair at the table. One of the things he enjoyed most about being here was eating dinner with his family. When he had lived with his parents, Draco had eaten his meals alone in his room. Draco picked at his sandwich, his heart hurting.

"Finish up, Little One," Cissy said softly as she set the table for the rest of the family.

He sighed, pushing the plate away, his sandwich half eaten. "M'not really hungry…"

She reached out and stroked his hair gently. "Go on and take your bath and then go to bed."

Draco slowly nodded, sliding from his chair and walking back down the hall. As he was crawling into his bed he could hear the Floo activate, announcing the arrival of his uncle and cousins. He turned and buried his face in his pillow, curling up under his quilt. A few moments later the bed dipped as someone sat down beside him. Then a hand gently rubbed his back. It was Uncle Remus. He'd know that touch anywhere. Draco lifted his face enough so that he could see his uncle out of one eye. "Are you mad at me?"

"I am very disappointed in you, Pup," the man told him. "You know better."

"I know," Draco whispered.

Remus reached down and picked up Tony, tucking the teddy bear under the boy's arm. He brushed the hair from the boy's forehead and kissed his brow. "I think Aunt Cissy's punishment is fair." Draco nodded. "Let's not do this again, alright?"

"Yes, sir."

"I love you, Dragon."

Draco just gave a small smile and closed his eyes. Remus rubbed his back another moment before telling him good night and leaving the room.

Draco knew that once he was in bed for the night he was not supposed to get out of bed except to go to the bathroom. But tonight as he had snuck down the hall to the kitchen to drink some water, he had heard Uncle Remus and Aunt Cissy talking quietly in the living room.

"I hate these nights when you are gone," Cissy told her beloved husband, resting her head on his chest. They had the same conversation almost every month as he left.

Remus kissed the top of her head. "I know, my love."

"Why can't you stay?"

"Because of the children," he sighed. "We've discussed this so many times before."

She nodded and stepped away after giving him a kiss. "You better go. It won't be long." It sounded to Draco like she was trying to be brave.

Remus kissed her once more before stepping to the Floo. "Wolf's Den," he called out, disappearing into the green flames.

Draco pressed back into the shadows, hugging Tony to his chest as Aunt Cissy turned out the last of the lights and went out onto the front porch. Peeking out the window, Draco watched as she walked into the yard and looked up at the sky. Now was his chance if he was going to figure out where it was Uncle Remus disappeared to some nights and why.

Hurrying over to the fireplace, Draco focused on the box of Floo powder on the mantel, out of reach of curious children. He wished as hard as he could that some of the Floo powder would fall out of the box and into the Floo so he could follow his Uncle Remus. Draco gave an excited squeak when his magic had caused his wish to come true. Without another thought, he stepped into the green flames and followed his uncle to the farm.

Remus was just uttering the last syllables of the incantation to close off the Floo when it flared green and a small body tumbled out. A small body clutching a teddy bear. Normally Remus didn't use corporal punishment on the children, but he also knew that a well placed smack would work wonders on behavior, much like the nip an alpha wolf would give a naughty pup. So he lifted his errant nephew from the floor and gave him a firm smack on the seat of his pajamas.

The boy cried out loudly and turned to look at his uncle with tear-filled eyes.

Remus started to say something to the boy, but stopped as pain ripped through his body. It was then that he realized that he couldn't send the boy back through the Floo because the charm he used wouldn't go away until morning. The charm had been created especially for him by Ted Tonks.

"Hide," he cried out as the pain ripped through him again. The change was coming quickly. Much quicker than he would have liked. "Upstairs. Now!" The last word came out as a growl.

Draco's eyes grew wide and as he uncle cried out in pain again, he hurried toward the stairs, dropping his bear in his haste.

Moony woke and stretched slowly. A scent assaulted his nose. It was a familiar and beloved scent, but one he knew wasn't supposed to be here. Not when he was in wolf form. It was the scent of the pup he called Dragon.

Another sniff told him of the boy's emotions. Hurt, sorrow and fear…no, terror. The wolf mind warred briefly with his human mind, but in the end the fact that Draco was scared won out over the predator part of his mind.

Dragon was upstairs. It was not a place that he usually ventured while in this form, but he could sense that his boy needed him.

So he padded toward the stairs, stopping when he noticed the dropped toy. It smelled not only of Dragon, but also of another pup: Rosebud. Knowing that Dragon needed the bear, Moony carefully took it between his teeth and went up the stairs in search of his boy.

Draco had hidden in the best place he could find: the closet in the back bedroom where Aunt Cissy kept the extra quilts. There was an empty space between the bottom shelf and the floor that was just the right size for him, even when wrapped in a quilt like he was now. He had found the place while playing hide-and-seek with Harry and the twins. Draco wished he had Tony to cuddle with as he listened to the strange noises coming from downstairs.

But then all grew quiet. The small boy strained his ears, listening for any sound other than the creaking floorboards in the old farmhouse. After several minutes, a snout appeared in the cracked doorway, and pushed the door open. Draco stared in shock at the large grey wolf with familiar amber eyes. He looked just his uncle's Animagus form, Wolf, only bigger. "Uncle Remus?" he asked, cocking his head to one side. The wolf nosed over Tony, having dropped the bear just outside the closet door in order to open the door. The boy hesitated a moment before snaking a hand out of the blanket to grab his teddy.

Moony gave a bark and then tugged on the blanket that was wrapped around the boy, slowing coaxing the boy over to the bed. Once Draco had climbed up on the bed, Moony jumped up next to the boy, settling across his legs.

Severus Snape Apparated to the edge of the farm yard and walked to the house, smothering a yawn. He had been up most of last night with the Wolfsbane Potion, but when a frantic Cissy had Flooed them, he couldn't tell her no. Not with her news that she couldn't find Draco. So he had agreed to go look for the boy.

He had checked a few other places before coming here, hoping that the boy wasn't here. But if he was, Severus hoped that there weren't any problems with the Wolfsbane. There usually wasn't, but Remus told him that some months seemed worse than others.

Carefully entering the house, he looked around trying to find the werewolf. He had stayed with Remus in were form once or twice, but he was still cautious. Not finding anyone on the ground floor, he made his way up the stairs to the bedrooms. He found them both in the bedroom that Remus and Cissy normally used when staying at the farm. Draco was curled up around Tony, sleeping soundly and Remus in were form was stretched out across his legs, sleeping as well.

The wolf's head lifted and they stared into each other's eyes for a moment before the wolf gave a slight nod, settling back down.

Severus watched them for a moment before heading back to the yard to Apparate first to let Cissy know that Draco was safe and then home.

Remus was already awake and showered when Draco woke the next morning. He looked up at his uncle and bit his lip as he slowly slid out of the bed to stand in front of the man. Father had always made him stand in front of him, hands behind his back and his head down, when he was trouble.

"Draco, please look at me," Remus said with a sigh. The boy slowly looked up at his uncle. "Why did you follow me?"

"I wanted to see you…"

"Are you sure there wasn't more to it than that? You wouldn't disobey the rule about not using the Floo without permission just to see me, would you?"

"Maybe…"

He pulled Draco to stand just in front of him, keeping his hands on the boy's arms. "What you did was very dangerous, young man. Why do we not allow you and the twins to use the Floo without permission?"

"Because we can get hurt or end up somewhere we aren't supposed to be."

"That's right, Draco. And you weren't supposed to be here last night." Remus sighed deeply, steeling himself for the punishment he had to hand out.

Twenty minutes later Remus stepped through the Floo with a sniffling Draco wrapped around him. He had hated having to spank the boy, but he knew that he could not let Draco think he could get away with that sort of behavior. Without the Wolfsbane, he would have killed the boy for sure. That thought terrified him.

Cissy hurried into the living room at the sound of the Floo activating. "Oh, thank Merlin," she said, rushing over to them. She took Draco from Remus, hugging him close.

After a moment, she put him on the floor, spinning him around and landing two sharp swats to the seat of his trousers.

"Ow!" the boy cried out loudly, bursting into tears again.

Sitting on the couch, she lifted him up to sit on her lap. "Don't you ever do that to me again, Draco. I was worried sick when I came inside and you were gone."

He turned and buried his face against her neck, sobbing. "Please don't send me away. I don't want to go away."

Remus sat down beside them and started rubbing the boy' back. "We aren't going to send you away, Dragon. Ever. You are ours now, no matter how much you misbehave."

Draco lifted his head, tears still falling down his pale cheek. "Promise?"

"I promise," he answered. "We both love you very much…just as much as we love Teddy and Tessa."

"But…but they're yours and I'm not," he said with a sniffle, blowing his nose on the tissue that Cissy held out for him.

Remus moved Draco over to his lap. "I want you to listen closely. You are our child. Teddy and Tessa were born to us, yes. But we chose you, Draco Lucius Malfoy. We chose you are as our child because we love you very much. And we wanted you to be a part of our family."

**Fin.**


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